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AZ 2012 Open Senate Seat: The Ron Johnson Model

Well, I awoke this morning, hustled the kids off to school, and then heard the good news: Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl would be announcing today that he would not, after all, seek a third term. I wonder why?

Well, it might have something to do with the fact that political landscape is changing here in Arizona from “the bottom up,” so to speak. (I think if of it from “the top down,” because the people are sovereign, and all elected officials, including the President, rank below citizen. You know, “We the People” and all that.)

Back when Sen. Jon Kyl ran for re-election in 2006, his campaign mailers said he was a conservative and a Republican, naturally. Our Party Platform says, “We reject amnesty” for illegal aliens. I sent Sen. Kyl a campaign contribution. He got elected. He then supported amnesty for illegals. I wrote and called him and asked him for my money back. On grounds of false advertising. He sent me a check. I told others to do what I did. They did. And they got their money back, too.

Then I became a precinct committeeman. And started recruiting conservative Republicans in earnest. We increased our ranks from about 32 per cent of the slots being filled to about 45 per cent by this past election cycle. And all those new conservative precinct committeemen have changed the political landscape here in Arizona. Because precinct committeemen elect the leadership of the Party and are in the best position to get out the vote for the best conservative candidates in the all-important, traditionally-very-low-turnout primary elections. Jon Kyl’s preferred candidate for Maricopa County chairman lost to the incumbent conservative by 69 per cent to 31 per cent. Jon Kyl’s preferred and endorsed candidate for Arizona state chairman lost to a grass roots, “tea party” write-in candidate. A write-in candidate.

Along the way, Jon Kyl did not acquit himself well in the “l’affaire Oval Office one-on-one meeting with President Opuppet about holding border security hostage for political purposes.” Rather than having told the American people about this stunning revelation, and calling out President Opuppet on it, Jon Kyl preferred to stay mum, but trumpeted his bravery to a sparsely attended tea party meeting in North Phoenix. Where his remarks were captured on one of those new-fangled digitial camera thingys. That was on a Friday afternoon. The video got posted on YouTube Saturday afternoon. With the help of some great Redstaters, the video went “viral.” I awoke on Monday morning to see Meghan Kelly on Fox News talking about this “stunning revelation” by Sen. Jon Kyl that had been made public via a YouTube video. Then, all of a sudden, Sen. Kyl had to talk about it with reporters — which he should have initiated to begin with, as he had exited the White House right after Opuppet told him he would not secure the border so as to gain political leverage against “you guys” — the Republicans — to achieve the passage of legislation granting amnesty to illegal aliens. This revelation took the White House off-message for a couple of days and culminated with an official, in person, denial by deputy White House press secretary Bill Burton to the White House Press Corps (pronounced by President Opuppet as “corpse”).

So, here in Arizona, the talk radio political programs are all talking about which Republicans will run in the primary for Sen. Kyl’s seat. I know the kind of candidate I want. I want a candidate of the Founders’ and Framers’ variety — someone of the “Ron Johnson Model” — an independently wealthy man or woman who has succeeded in the real world of commerce. Who understands business. And the fact that government does not create jobs. Who is beholden to no special interest and will have no interest in such things as earmarks in return for campaign contributions. Who will fight tooth and toenail for the individual American’s liberties. Who will take his oath of office seriously and strive to abide by the Constitution’s limited, enumerated powers, not strive to “get around” them.

Conservative Republicans like this exist in Arizona. Alas, so do many “professional politicians” of the compromising, “get around the limited, enumerated powers” type (for some, people like retired Rep. John Shadegg and current Rep. Jeff Flake come to mind).

I will look for and help Arizona’s version of now-Sen. Ron Johnson (R, WI) seek the nomination. And I think all of the new conservative Republican precinct committeemen, and those whom we will recruit between now and the 2012 primary, will too. We may be able to deliver the votes for such a candidate in the primary election. Because we are in the best position to do so.